Moving image terminology: recap and revision task

Key terms

Cinema Verite: A candid-camera style of filmmaking using hand-held cameras, natural sound, grainy high-contrast black-and-white film, and the appearance of no rehearsal and only basic editing.

Cinematographer: The person who supervises all aspects of photography from the operation of cameras to lighting.

Mise en scene: The arrangement of visual compositional elements and movements within a given space. In movies, it is defined by the frame that enclosed the images. Cinematic mise en scene encompasses both the staging of the action and the way it's photographed.

Sequence: A structural unit of a film using time, location, or some pattern to link together a number of scenes.

Composition: The placement of people or objects within the frame and the arrangements for actual movements within the frame or by the camera.

Colour Palette: A limited number of specific colours used or emphasised throughout the film to subtly communicate various aspects of character and story to the viewer.

Motifs: Images, patterns, or ideas that are repeated throughout the film and are variations or aspects of the major theme.

Audio 

Ambient Sound: Sounds natural to any film scene’s environment.

Voice-over Narration: The technique of using an off-screen voice to convey necessary background information, fill in gaps in the narrative, and comment on the action.

Diegetic Sound: Sound whose source is visible on screen/implied to be present by the action of the film

Non-diegetic Sound: Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor implied to be present in the action

Contrapuntal Sound: A term which refers to sound which does not 'fit' with the scene or image

Camera shot

Dolly Shot: A moving shot taken from a dolly. A Dolly moves the camera toward the subject, while a Dolly-Out moves the camera away from the subject. A dolly shot creates a sense of movement through space by capturing changes in perspective.

Tracking shot: A shot in which the camera is pushed horizontally along the ground on a dolly. 

Pan: A shot in which a stationary camera turns horizontally, revealing new areas.

POV shot: A shot which is understood to be seen from the point of view of a character within the scene.

Transition

Dissolve: A method of making a transition from one shot to another by briefly superimposing one image upon another and then allowing the first image to disappear. A dissolve is a stronger form of transition than a cut and indicates a distinct separation in action. 

Fade: A transitional device in which either an image gradually dims until the viewer sees only a black screen (Fade-Out) or an image slowly emerges from a black screen to a clear and bright picture (Fade-In). A fade provides a strong break in continuity, usually setting off sequences.

Wipe: A transitional device in which one image slowly replaces another by pushing the other out of the way.

Cross-cutting: The alternating of shots from two different sequences, often in different locales, suggesting that they are taking place at the same time.

Jump Cut: An instantaneous cut from one action to another, at first seemingly unrelated, action. Jump cuts will usually call attention to themselves because of the abrupt change in time and/or place.

Match Cut: A cut intended to blend two shots together unobtrusively (opposed to a Jump Cut). Also known as a graphic shot.

Flashback: A segment of film that breaks normal chronological order by shifting directly to time past. Flashback may be subjective (showing the thoughts and memory of a character) or objective (returning to earlier events to show their relationship to the present).

Montage: (dynamic editing, expressive montage, conditional montage) A method of putting shots together in such a way that dissimilar materials are juxtaposed to make a statement. 

Camera Angle

High-Angle Shot: A shot taken from above a subject, creating a sense of "looking down" upon whatever is photographed.

Low-Angle Shot: A shot taken from below a subject, creating a sense of "looking up to" whatever is photographed.

Bird's-eye View: A shot in which the camera photographs a scene from directly overhead.

Reaction Shot: A shot showing one or more characters reacting to an action or statement. 

Zoom Shot: A shot accomplished with a lens capable of smoothly and continuously changing focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto (zoom in) or telephoto to wide-angle (zoom out).